Syracuse Football News: Savion Washington, meeting Coach Fran Brown, other tidbits

Look, I am not an X's and O's kind of fan. I am not a stat guy and can't tell you who wore what jersey number in 1997. What I know is that I like waking up on a game day and looking forward to seeing the Syracuse Orange play any sport I possibly can.

Just yesterday, I was at the volleyball facility and was wishing they had a game so I could shout "Let's Go Orange!" before going back to work. I preface this post with that because after I share a few news updates for you, I will also share something a bit more personal.

I like sharing positive and personal stories whenever possible to remind ourselves that it's not just about wins and losses or who is the greatest of all time...it's the joy of being a fan and the experiences that make being a fan pump Orange blood through our veins.

First off, congratulations to Syracuse football right tackle Savion Washington for winning the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week. Savion finished the Cal game with better blocking grades than most of my high school classes and is the second Cuse OL to win the award this year, with Da'Metrius Weatherspoon also getting the award after the Georgia Tech win.

Syracuse also announced this week that the regular season finale in the JMA Wireless Dome on November 30th will be a 3:30 pm game on ESPN. Miami is currently ranked number 11 in the country and with Cuse currently at seven wins, the Orange could be trying to get their ninth win of the season and get a higher bowl game.

But in order to get that ninth win. they will have to also beat UConn this week, which by the way is also 7-3 and has played very competitively against two other ACC teams. The Orange return to the Dome for their last two games and starting it off being favored by 10.5 points, according to my brother on the site Neil Adler, who also shared other information about the game that you can find by clicking HERE.

It's also senior day and if you get there early, you can enjoy seeing the legendary former Cuse coach Dick MacPherson being inducted into the Syracuse Ring of Honor. Coach MacPherson is a huge reason I bleed Orange and I am always supportive of his legacy being part of the future of the Syracuse football program.

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown.

And that leads me to the personal story I would like to share. As a kid, I remember watching Coach Mac leading the team I rooted for on my TV often. I went to a couple games as a kid but not many and watching the games was always fun to see my home team play.

Now that I am 52, there is still that little boy in me who didn't go to games often, who loved watching the games when I could and wearing my Syracuse pride on my sleeve win or lose and tolerating the backlash when they lost from others who didn't. I get as giddy as a kid in a toy store when I get the chance to be near the university and I let the coaches do the coaching and I just enjoy rooting for my team and the players and coaches.

So when I recently took a temporary job delivering Veo scooters in the campus area again while I find a job, I saw a scooter lying in the football facility area lot and had to get it before it got damaged. While there, I happened to see a familiar face and it turned out to be head coach Fran Brown walking from one building to the next and I had to say hello.

Now I had a similar experience when I worked this job a couple of years ago and almost ran over former Cuse Coach Dino Babers, who is currently the offensive coordinator at Arizona. He was amazing too and I was grateful he took time with me as well.

When I asked Coach Brown for a picture, he didn't hesitate and we even had a discussion about how the scooters work and such. I told him how I am a lifelong fan and I was rooting for him and the team and to keep up the great work.

What I found was the same guy we see in the press conferences (I watch all the press conferences for all sports that are posted on the Cuse YouTube page, including Coach Brown's) and on TV. I now see what Syracuse Athletic Director John Wildhack saw in him and why he is a high-level recruiter, and I got to experience it for myself. He's that guy.

Our conversation was simple yet I felt like he cared. He is very personable and from the looks of it, very upfront and honest. He shows you that he cares and is complimentary and speaks as a man deep in his faith and beliefs.

But the best part of him might be what seems to be his honest motivation to show the history of the program and those before him, like Coach Mac, the proper love and respect while working his butt off to truly take the program to the highest of highs.

Between our photo chat and his press conference the next day sharing his admiration for Coach Mac, I have to say that right now that kid in me who was excited to see my team play is equally excited to have him running the football program bringing with him players like Fadil Diggs and Kyle McCord who give fans faith that winning is possible.

Thank you Coach Fran Brown for reminding me of that side of fandom where I can let you and your staff be the coaches and I can just be a fan excited for my team knowing you are trying to do things the right way for the program on and off the field.